|Publication number||US8023029 B2|
|Application number||US 12/098,703|
|Publication date||Sep 20, 2011|
|Priority date||Apr 7, 2008|
|Also published as||US20090251585, WO2009126497A2, WO2009126497A3|
|Publication number||098703, 12098703, US 8023029 B2, US 8023029B2, US-B2-8023029, US8023029 B2, US8023029B2|
|Inventors||Daniel M. Joseph|
|Original Assignee||Disney Enterprises, Inc.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (16), Non-Patent Citations (1), Referenced by (4), Classifications (6), Legal Events (2)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
The present invention generally relates to portable display devices, and more particularly, to portable display devices that can operate in both near-view and projection modes, which enables the devices to be used as both individual displays and multiple-viewer displays.
Generally, cameras are equipped with some type of viewfinder that operates to enable a user to view the scene that will be captured by the lens of the camera. In some cameras, this viewfinder may be something as simple as a port through the camera that allows the user to visualize the approximate boundaries of the image to be captured. In this regard, the user is then able to substantially determine beforehand what the resulting picture will look like. However, as can be appreciated, these ports do not permit the user to subsequently view the resulting image after the camera has taken a picture.
With the invention of digital cameras, manufacturers began including small electronic displays to allow users to view the image to be captured, and to subsequently view or playback previously captured images and/or videos. Rather than conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, digital cameras typically utilize transmissive displays due to their relatively greater luminance, higher contrast ratios, greater sharpness, and better spatial uniformity. Generally, transmissive displays utilize a light source, often termed a backlight, to illuminate pixels on a flat, transmissive panel. Light intensity from the backlight may be maintained at a constant level, and color may be provided by the relative luminosity of the light transmitted through three primary color filters, usually selected as red, green, and blue, associated with each pixel on the panel. One example of transmissive display systems is Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) devices. An LCD is a thin, flat display device made up of any number of color or monochrome pixels arrayed in front of a light source, such as a digital camera's backlight. LCD's are often utilized in battery-powered electronic devices, such as digital cameras, because they use relatively small amounts of electric power, are small in size and weight, and have reduced glare.
Typically, a digital camera includes an LCD screen affixed in the camera body. For example, the LCD screen may be affixed in a back wall of the camera body. In this regard, a user may preview the image to be captured, view stored images, and operate various menus on the digital camera. The LCD device may generally have a diagonal dimension of about one to four inches. As can be appreciated, these LCD devices may have disadvantages. First, only one person can easily monitor the image of the object being framed or previously framed through the viewfinder in the digital camera. That is, several people cannot simultaneously monitor the image of the object presently or previously framed since the display is quite small (e.g., 1-4 inches diagonal). Second, although many digital cameras provide features that enable them to be connected to an external display (e.g., a television, monitor, or external projector), it may be inconvenient to connect a digital camera to an external display when many persons are to simultaneously view the image or video shot by the digital camera.
Some efforts have been made to provide a camera that can also project an external display. However, these devices have typically required complex laser systems, costly redesigns, additional external components, and the like. Hence, there remains a strong demand for a dual-purpose digital camera that can both capture still or video images and play them back locally and to groups (e.g., projection).
The present invention addresses the above and other problems by providing camera-projector combinations or assemblies and other products (such as toys, clock radios, handheld projectors, and the like). These assemblies are adapted to provide relatively inexpensive projectors with readily available transmissive displays such as LCDs. For example, even low-end digital cameras include a small LCD or display screen for viewing images captured with the camera (or provided in modular, attached memory devices). In some preferred embodiments, the camera-projector assembly is created by attaching a projector assembly with a projection light source (such as a white or colored LED of up to 150 lumens or more power) and a projection lens. The LCD is mounted on an external surface of the camera body such that it can be shared or used in a near-view mode in which it is positioned against the camera body/housing and in a projection mode in which it is positioned between the projection light source and the projection lenses. For example, the LCD may be pivotally mounted on the rear or back surface of the camera housing to be rotated between the near-view mode position against the camera housing and the projection mode position spaced apart from the housing surface, with the light source sometimes being positionable against the back of the LCD in this projection mode position.
In other embodiments of the invention, a positionable LCD or other display is shared between one display device (e.g., a near-view display) and a projection assembly. This may be desirable to provide inexpensive projectors such as a projection assembly that may operate when it receives a modular LCD such as found on a keychain or the like. Toys may be fabricated with low priced projectors using the positionable transmissive displays of the invention such as to allow a clock radio to display the time when the transmissive display is in one position and to display image data (e.g., a video or still image) when the transmissive display is moved into the projection assembly between the projection light source and projection lenses. In many cases, the projection aspects/functionality of the invention may be provided at very low cost as the assemblies or products may be created using conventional, relatively low cost and low resolution LCDs and readily available light sources (e.g., LEDs including those with up to 150 lumens or more of power) and projection lenses (e.g., plastic or glass lenses that can focus the image on projection surfaces a few inches to a several feet away). Often, the modification of existing devices may include mainly external modifications as the projection assembly can be mounted on external surfaces without altering internal components and/or dimensions.
More particularly, a ca era-projector assembly is provided that includes a camera housing and an image capture assembly within the housing that operates to collect image data. The camera-projector assembly also includes a projection assembly mounted on the camera housing that includes a projection lens and a projection light source. A transmissive display such as an LCD is provided external to the camera housing and adapted to be positionable in a first position proximate to the camera housing and in a second position between the projection lens and light source. The transmissive display may be operated to display the image data in the first and second positions. The transmissive display may be positioned with one of its surfaces against or abutting an external surface of the camera housing when it is in the first position and at least partially spaced apart from the external surface in the second position. For example, the transmissive display may be rotatably mounted on an external surface of the camera housing and be rotatable from the first to the second position about one of its ends or edges. In some cases, the transmissive display directs the displayed image data in a first direction when in the near-view or first position and in a second direction opposite or different than the first direction when in the projection or second position. The projection light source may be a relatively high powered source such as an LED of about 150 lumens or more while a backlight source may be provided for displaying the image data in the first position that is of a lower power (e.g., less than about 150 lumens).
According to another aspect, a consumer device or apparatus is provided that is operable to project an image onto a projection surface. The device includes a housing and memory disposed or receivable within the housing storing image data. A controller may be disposed within the housing and coupled to the memory to retrieve the image data. The device may further include a projection assembly coupled to/controlled by the controller. The projection assembly includes a projection light source, a transmissive display, and projection optics. The transmissive display is operable by the controller to display the image data and is also selectively positionable between the projection light source and the projection optics. In some cases, the transmissive display may include an LCD that is selectively positioned in a near-viewing mode position in which the LCD is spaced apart from the projection light source and a projection mode position in which the LCD is positioned between the projection light source and the projection optics.
In some cases, the transmissive display is rotatable about an axis that extends substantially along an edge of the transmissive display while in other cases the display may be slid between the two positions. The projection assembly may be affixed to an external surface of the housing. In some embodiments, the projection light source is also movable such as an LED that can be moved out of the way to allow free movement of the LCD and then placed on the back surface of the LCD to direct light through the images generated in the LCD to project these images onto a projection surface, which may be spaced apart from the housing (e.g., a few inched to several feet such as for a clock apparatus or the like) or within the housing such as for a handheld toy with images displayed within the housing viewable through windows or view ports. In some handheld projector devices, the transmissive device is selectively removable and insertable into the consumer device such as a modular display device (e.g., a keychain or similar product) with an LCD that can be placed into or used by the projection assembly (e.g., a modular display device with a transparent/translucent body and/or a rotatable LCD).
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.
The camera assembly 110 includes an image acquisition unit 122 that is operable to acquire image data 119 and convert the image data 119 to a digital signal, either alone or in conjunction with a separate analog-to-digital converter. The image acquisition unit 122 may typically include one or more lenses, a diaphragm, and an image sensor that converts optical images into electrical signals. For example, the image sensor may be a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip. The image acquisition unit 122 may be coupled to a controller 114, which is adapted to receive signals from the image acquisition unit 122 and to control the operation of the camera-projector 100. The controller 114 is typically a logic unit such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. The controller 114 may also be coupled to a storage unit 118, which is adapted to store image data 119 captured by the image acquisition unit 122. The storage unit 118 may be fixed or removable. For example, a fixed storage unit may typically include a hard drive, internal flash memory, or other fixed memory device. A removable storage unit may include a removable disk, flash memory, a proprietary device, or other removable media. The camera assembly 110 may also include a communications interface 128 that is coupled to the controller 114, allowing for contact with an external information handling system. The external information handling system may typically include a personal computer, an internet device, a personal digital assistant, or any other device adapted to store and process information. The communications interface 128 may include an interface circuit or modem adapter to transfer image data from the storage unit 118 to the external information handling system. For example, the communications interface 128 may include a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a wireless interface, or one or more other suitable communications interfaces. The camera assembly 110 also may include a control interface 132 to provide users with a means to operate the camera-projector 100. As an example, the control interface 132 may include a plurality of buttons, knobs, and dials that enable a user to capture and review image data 119 stored on the camera-projector 100.
The camera assembly 110 of the camera-projector 100 and may also include a transmissive display or screen 140 that is coupled to the controller 114 for displaying the images stored in the storage unit 118. The transmissive display 140 may be, for example, an LCD device or screen. Such LCD devices include ferroelectric, nematic, anti-ferroelectric, and other liquid crystal materials. Because it is generally well known in the art of LCD devices how to create useful displays using such devices, the various optical components, such as polarizers, and analyzers, will not be described in detail herein. In addition to the crystal display devices, other suitable transmissive displays may be used. The display 140 may be positioned on an external surface of the camera body.
To provide backlighting for the transmissive display 140, a backlight 126 may also be included in the camera assembly 110. The backlight 126 may be internal or external to the body of the camera-projector 100, and is generally disposed directly behind the display 140. The backlight 126 may, for example, include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). The backlight 126 may further include means for conditioning light to provide a proper backlight. For example, the backlight 126 may include a light diffuser, a filter, one or more lenses, or the like.
To operate the camera-projector 100, a user may point the camera-projector 100 toward an object desired to be captured. Using the control interface 132 and while viewing the transmissive display 140, the user may then cause the image acquisition unit 122 to capture an image. The captured image may then be stored in the storage unit 118 as image data 119, and subsequently displayed on the transmissive display 140. In this regard, the user may playback a plurality of images that have been captured by the camera-projector 100.
The camera-projector 100 also includes the projection assembly 150. As illustrated in
To achieve the aforementioned sharing of the transmissive display 140, the display 140 may be selectively positionable. For example, the transmissive display 140 may be slidable from a first configuration within the camera assembly 110 to a second configuration within the projection assembly 150. It should be appreciated that there are various ways of sharing the transmissive display 140 between the camera assembly 110 and the projection assembly 150. For example, the transmissive display 140 may be rotated about an axis from a first configuration to a second configuration. Further, the display 140 may be selectively movable between a local display position proximate to the body of the camera-projector 100 to a projection position distal or spaced apart from the body of the camera-projector 100. Additionally, other components such as the projection light source 144, the backlight 126, and the projection lens 148, may be selectively movable to achieve the desired sharing functionality.
When the camera-projector 100 is in the projection mode, the transmissive display 140 may be positioned between the projection light source 144 and the projection lens 148 of the projection assembly 150, as shown. In this regard, the controller 114 may direct the projection light source 144 to provide a backlight for the transmissive display 140. The light transmitted through the transmissive display will then pass to the projection lens 148, where it may then be projected onto a projection surface, such as a wall, ceiling, projection screen, or other suitable surface. It should be appreciated that the projection light source 144 may include ways for conditioning light into a form that is usable by the projection assembly 150. For example, the projection light source 144 may include filters, diffusers, collimators, or the like to achieve the desired backlighting. Further, the projection lens 148 may include one or more lenses, manual or automatic focusing means, or other features to assist in the projection of an image onto a projection surface.
It should be appreciated that the LED 222 may include various properties that are desirable for this specific application. For example, the viewing angle of the LED 222 with an integral lens may be wide (e.g., 100-160 degrees) so that the light is distributed evenly over a large portion of the back of the LCD 206. Further, the brightness of the LED may be chosen to provide sufficient backlighting to project an image through the projection lens 208 and onto a projection surface. In one embodiment, the LED 206 has an intensity in the range of about 150 to 400 lumens to overcome the relatively large loss of light in the LCD 206.
As can be seen in
When the device 300 is operated in near-viewing mode, the controller 306 may cause a backlight 312 to provide illumination for the transmissive display 314. Further, when the device 300 is operated in a projection mode, the transmissive display 314 may be selectively positioned within a projection assembly 320. The projection assembly 320 may include a projection light source 316, the transmissive display 314, and a projection lens 318. Similar to the operation described above in reference to
It should be appreciated that the alarm clock 400 may use the projection assembly 418 and the speaker 420 to implement various features. For example, in one embodiment the alarm clock 400 may be configured to display a slide show of images accompanied by music. In another embodiment, the alarm clock 400 may be configured to show a video. As an example, the alarm clock 400 may be operable to play a video that includes music that is helpful in getting a child to fall asleep at night. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that other features may be implemented using the projection assembly 418 described herein.
Similar to previously described embodiments, the projection assembly 610 may include a projection light source (not shown) for projecting an image onto the projection surface 604. Further, in one embodiment, the transmissive display (not shown) of the projection assembly 610 may be selectively positionable (e.g., rotatable, slidable, etc.) between a projection mode position and a near-viewing mod position. In this regard, the toy 600 may include a backlight (not shown) to illuminate the transmissive display when it is in the near-viewing mode.
In some cases, the keychain or modular LCD display device including LCD or display 808 is configured for insertion into the device 800 as a unit. A more conventional module LCD display device has a solid back opposite its LCD and a backlight internal to its housing. A modified embodiment of such a modular device may have its LCD 808 mounted on a front, external surface and the internal components may be arranged to allow projection light source 804 to project light unobstructed or relatively unobstructed onto the back of the LCD 808, and, of course, the back or rear wall of the display device would be at least translucent or partially translucent/transparent to allow light from the light source 804 to pass through to the LCD 808. In other embodiments, the light source 804 is replaced or supplemented with the light source/backlight in the modular display device. In this case, the light source may be a one power source or have two or more settings such as a near-view power level or luminance and a projection mode power level that provides a higher power level or luminance, with switching being manual or automatic such as with a switching mechanism responsive to insertion into the housing 802.
In other embodiments, the modular display such as a keychain/backpack clip configured such that the LCD or display 808 is rotatable or slidable or otherwise repositionabie from a near-view position adjacent the body of the module display to a projection position apart from the body. In this projection position (e.g., rotated 90 to 180 degrees about one hinged edge or the like as discussed with reference to the camera-projector of
As shown, a light source 1130 may be coupled to a back surface of the LCD 1106 such that the two are rotated together by the user. In this regard, the light source 1130 provides a backlight for the LCD 1106 in both a near-viewing mode and a projection mode. In the projection mode, light from the light source 1130 passes through an aperture 1136 in the camera-projector 1100 and through a projection lens 1108 (shown in
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character. For example, certain embodiments described hereinabove may be combinable with other described embodiments and/or arranged in other ways (e.g., process elements may be performed in other sequences). Accordingly, it should be understood that only the preferred embodiment and variants thereof have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.
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|Cooperative Classification||G03B17/00, G03B17/54|
|European Classification||G03B17/00, G03B17/54|
|Apr 7, 2008||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:JOSEPH, DANIEL M.;REEL/FRAME:020766/0085
Effective date: 20080407
|Mar 4, 2015||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4